ISIS has released a video that shows the beheading of U.S. journalist
Steven Sotloff and says the murder is retaliation for the Obama administration’s continued airstrikes in Iraq. Sotloff is the second American journalist to be killed by ISIS, and his death comes two weeks after
James Foley was executed in a similar
video.
In the video entitled
'A Second Message to America,' Sotloff appears in a orange jumpsuit before he is beheaded by an Islamic State fighter.
The executioner appears to be the same man who killed Foley – known as
‘Jihadi John’ - and tells the camera:
'I’m back, Obama, and I’m back because of your arrogant foreign policy towards the Islamic State.' He also threatens to kill a Briton held hostage by the group next. The identity of the hostage is widely available online, but
MailOnline is not identifying him at the request of the British government.
UN Secretary General
Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday that the world was
'outraged' at what they had seen.
'We are all outraged at reports from Iraq about the brutal killing of civilians by ISIL, including yesterday's (Tuesdays) reported brutal beheading of another journalist,' he said.
British Prime Minister
David Cameron condemned the video, calling it
‘an absolutely disgusting and despicable act’. He said he will chair a COBR meeting on the threat to a UK citizen tomorrow, and added:
‘My thoughts and prayers are with Mr Sotloff’s family and friends tonight as they deal with this appalling and tragic situation.’
‘We have already been working hard to keep British people safe and we will continue to do all we can to protect our country and our people from these barbaric terrorists.’
President Obama yesterday's afternoon boarded Air Force One and flew to Estonia ahead of a NATO summit without addressing the nation. The White House said the President's
'thoughts and prayers' were with the Sotloff family.
Sotloff, 31, from Miami, who freelanced for Time and Foreign Policy magazines, vanished in Syria in August 2013 and was not seen again until he appeared in a video released online last month that showed Foley's beheading. He was the grandson of Holocaust survivors.
In the new video that shows the killing of Sotloff, the executioner points his knife menacingly at the camera as he speaks. Clad in the same black garb he wore during Foley’s execution, the killer has a pistol strapped under his arm in a shoulder holster. The black flag of the Islamic State can be seen waving in the background.
He says:
‘As your missiles continue to strike our people, our knife will continue to strike necks of your people.'I’m back Obama, and I’m back because of your arrogant foreign policy towards the Islamic state, because of your insistence on continuing your bombings and … on Mosul Dam, despite our serious warnings. You Obama, have but to gain from your actions but another American citizen. So just as your missiles continue to strike out people, our knife will continue to strike the necks of your people.'
Two hours after the video was released, Mr. Sotloff’s family issued a statement to say they believe he has been killed.
‘The family knows of this horrific tragedy and is grieving privately. There will be no public comment from the family during this difficult time,’ the statements said.
Source: MailOnline
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